While today — particularly in America — the ALPINA name conjures images of big, Autobahn-crushing luxury cars like the 7 Series, X7, and 8 Series, the company’s beginnings were all motorsports. A spin in one of their apparently luxury-focused rides will quickly remind you of that. Another way to remember is to simply take a glance in the rearview mirror, as it were. Cars from ALPINA’s past quickly clarify any confusion about whether or not the brand is “soft;” let’s just say the boys in Buchloe were not always as subtle as they are today. And when a likeminded enthusiast gets their hands on a rare and interesting ALPINA, well, the possibilities are nearly endless. Today, we’re looking at an extremely rare 1979 Alpina B6 with some impressive additions, now up for auction on Bring a Trailer.
An ALPINA B6 Like No Other
The ALPINA B6, based on the E21 3 Series, left Buchloe with a 2.8-liter inline-six ripped from the contemporary 528i. Naturally, ALPINA dialed in the engine, swapping in Mahle pistons and increasing compression. But in 2005 — 21 years ago and 26 years into the car’s life — the then-owner made an important decision. For whatever reason, the 2.8-liter mill was removed in favor of a larger 3.8-liter M30 six-pot. The engine came courtesy of Metric Mechanic, a Missouri-based BMW engine shop, and makes around 285 horsepower. That’s a far cry from the 200 horsepower that the original tuned-up 2.8-liter made. Power still gets sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual and a limited slip differential.
It’s impossible, though, to leave well enough alone. So, plenty of other modifications followed behind the 3.8-liter swap. Recaro seats — sporting ALPINA colors to boot — and some light suspension mods, namely Bilstein shocks and H&R springs. Despite the car’s awesome blue paint — according to the seller, a “variant of Tanzanite Blue” — it actually left the factory in a rare shade called Topaz Brown. A bit of a loss until you remember just how good of a color Tanzanite Blue is. We couldn’t use the pictures from the listing, but luckily had a picture of a blue E21 lying around. You can check out the listing for yourself on Bring a Trailer, which we’ve linked below.
What Makes the ALPINA B6 2.8 Special?
Hot-rodding additions aside — which makes this specific ALPINA exceptionally “in the spirit” of ALPINA, in my opinion — the E21-based ALPINA B6 is a fairly uncommon find. This car is number 66 of just 533 produced between 1978 and 1983. The E21 3 Series was, of course, the first generation of the now ubiquitous 3 Series. ALPINA’s success with six-cylinder 3ers (though primarily from the contemporary C1 2.3 rather than the 2.8 itself) arguably started here and speaks for itself nearly 50 years later.
Would this car be “worth more” sans modifications? Very likely. After all, ALPINA was arguably an engine builder before anything else, and removing that integral component from the equation could rub some would-be buyers the wrong way. The car failed to meet the seller’s reserve price in 2021, reaching $42,250, which when you consider its relatively low mileage (87k kilometers/54k miles), is not so surprising. For comparison, a mostly factory car sold for $106k in 2024 with quite a bit more mileage (120k kilometers/74k miles). Assuming a reasonable reserve, this ALPINA is perfect for someone who wants to actually drive the car, rather than treat it as an investment. An extra 85 horsepower over stock certainly doesn’t hurt, either. Bidding ends Sunday, May 3.
Source: Bring a Trailer
